I love pasta salad. It is easy to make and pack for my lunches, too. But pasta salad always feels like a summery dish so I decided to create an autumn inspired Vegan Fall Pasta Salad Recipe. Instead of fresh veggies like typical pasta salad you roast some classic fall vegetables to create perfect fall flavors.
The noodles in this recipe can be whatever your favorite is to make for pasta salad. I prefer fusilli, rotini or penne. You can also make this recipe gluten free by getting gluten free noodles. I used Trader Joe’s Brown Rice & Quinoa Fusilli pasta which ended up being gluten free.
This recipe really comes alive with the fall flavors. Roasting sweet potatoes & brussel sprouts brings in a great flavor & texture to the vegetables. The granny smith apple is crisp & tart. Pecans give you a crunch & dried cranberries some sweetness. The dressing I made for my Fall Pasta Salad is poppyseed vinaigrette; sweet and light.
With vegan pasta salad, or any salad really you can customize the ingredients to your fall favorites. Cranberries, squash & oranges or clementines would all be a great additions to this vegan fall pasta salad recipe.
Like all my recipes my fall pasta salad is vegan friendly. It is also a healthy yet delicious recipe. I use whole grain pasta and lots of veggies with bold flavors with a little sweetness in the dressing to bring it all together.
Vegan Fall Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 2 cups brussel sprouts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 16 oz pasta
- 1 granny smith apple
- 1/2 cup pecans crushed
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Dressing
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp agave syrup
- 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp paprika
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°.
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Cube sweet potato into bite sized pieces, half brussel sprouts & mince garlic.
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On a cookie sheet drizzle olive oil on sweet potato, brussel sprouts & garlic. Sprinkle with salt and use hands to coat veggies with oil.
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Bake for 20 - 25 minutes turning over veggies halfway through.
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Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and let cool.
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Chop apple & crush pecans.
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In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients.
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In a large bowl toss all ingredients with dressing.
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Optionally serve with extra pecans and poppyseed as garnish.
Recipe Notes
Pasta will absorb dressing so if planning on making ahead of time double the dressing and save half to use when serving
Store in airtight container in refrigerator for 3-5 days
For more vegan fall flavors check out my Potato Lentil Soup Recipe or for a pumpkin treat check out my Pumpkin Oatmeal Balls Recipe, Vegan Pumpkin Bars & Pumpkin Protein Shake.
Don’t forget to comment below with how your fall pasta salad turned out! You can tag me @emilyhappyhealthy on Instagram with a photo of yours.